Day 10: Sharing Strength
As most of you read on the post called Brotherly Love, http://www.busybeinghappy.blogspot.com/2013/06/brotherly-love.html my little bro recently moved over a thousand miles away and is building a new life in Florida. While I didn't go that far, I did move out of state when I was 20 years old and there are few things in my life that have been quite as difficult. Being away from my support group, learning how to navigate a new city and a loneliness, the likes of which I had never known, were just a few of the struggles that made me homesick on a daily basis. There were many times I called my mother sobbing and asking permission to come back to my life in Utah, I wanted her to tell me that it was okay to give up. She refused. There was something I was meant to learn, she counseled me, and I needed to give it a year. She has never been short on good advice. I persevered and in the process met new friends, learned how to survive being laid off, and met the man whom I would spend the rest of my life with. I will always be grateful to my mother for pushing me to make the best of that move.
My brother is learning these lessons now and while I haven't spoke with him in a couple of week, I imagine his trials may be weighing him down the same way mine did all those years ago. There is nothing more frightening than having the initial excitement of a new adventure morph into the reality of being so far away from home. I have been there and I wanted to share with my brother what my mom had shared with me in my darkest hours, perseverance. I sat down and wrote my baby brother a card, included were my struggles of being away from home and how pushing through that fear will reap the rewards of strength. It seemed small and gigantic all in the same breath. The gift of love from a thousand miles away.
Day 11: Giving My Time
I consider myself a stay at home mama these days. While I do spend a few hours a week helping at our business and a couple hours a day writing, the majority of my time is focused on the caring and raising of my children. It is the most rewarding and heart wrenching job I have ever had. Most days are not filled with stress free excursions or endless snuggles, but with the tedious task of correcting, teaching and monitoring behavior. There are bedtimes and chore schedules and the feeling of being a taxi driver to two freeloaders who show their appreciation by rolling their eyes and complaining about fairness. I'm clearly a masochist because I love every second of it.
Today I wanted to give my kids the gift of my time, uninhibited by phone calls, emails or throwing in a load of laundry. I planned an afternoon at the local bowling alley with my mom and the kids. My son complained about not wanting to go and my daughter was eager to know when we would be home so she could check her iPad and text her best friend. I didn't let it get to me. We paid for two games, strapped on some smelly shoes and chose silly names that would let us know who was next up to knock down the pins. I was Mommy Pants, my mom was Silly Silver Gran, my son was Super Macho Man and my daughter was Happy Panda. It turns out, she would be anything but happy for our first game. I left my phone in my purse, minus the 30 seconds I spent letting everyone on FB know I was bowling with my munchkins, and we hung out.We ordered soda and chicken strips and we laughed. Some of us threw fits and stomped away from a gutter ball with angry faces, but we were together. We were a family.
My house needed to be vacuumed, there was laundry in the washer, and I had yet to start a writing assignment that was due in a few days, but my gift could not wait. I want my kids to know that my time is worthy of them, not just my friends or my work. The gift of time is a gift of love for my children.
Please check out my post on The Power of Permission and read through the other inspiring stories of people who gave themselves permission.
http://www.lizzieg.com/category/power-of-permission-project/
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